XolokReads reviewed The Demon Soul by Richard A. Knaak (War of the Ancients Trilogy, #2)
Queen Azshara could sing "I Didn't Mean to Turn You On" at her trial and she would be justly acquitted
1 star
The Demon Soul has the same issues as the book before it. Yes. Things happen in this narrative, but the reader feels little connection between the events and the characters with a couple of exceptions. Sometimes we are shown characters growing and evolving, but far more often we are told they are growing or evolving. Thankfully Rhonin has a minimal role in this book. We know he won't develop as a person. Illidan's development feels abrupt and we never got a sense of how his character would lead him down the path he takes. Malfurion is decently well developed compared to the other main characters. Tyrande, of course, is described as physically attractive. She does some cool stuff, but we don't get too much of a sense of her personality. Broxigar the orc has some solid development, but he doesn't get too much time spent on him. Krasus doesn't have …
The Demon Soul has the same issues as the book before it. Yes. Things happen in this narrative, but the reader feels little connection between the events and the characters with a couple of exceptions. Sometimes we are shown characters growing and evolving, but far more often we are told they are growing or evolving. Thankfully Rhonin has a minimal role in this book. We know he won't develop as a person. Illidan's development feels abrupt and we never got a sense of how his character would lead him down the path he takes. Malfurion is decently well developed compared to the other main characters. Tyrande, of course, is described as physically attractive. She does some cool stuff, but we don't get too much of a sense of her personality. Broxigar the orc has some solid development, but he doesn't get too much time spent on him. Krasus doesn't have development, but he at least kind of has a personality. The adversarial characters are even flatter. It's not quite clear why they're choosing evil. The character of Queen Azshara is pretty sexist. We are told she commands the allegiance of those around her, but that's mainly because of her physical attractiveness. She isn't inspiring. We are told she has fabulous magical powers and we are shown none of them. She's not even a primary participant in her own villainy. She's not summoning demons. She's not delving into secrets best left untouched. She just sits around brushing her hair and fiendishly turning on her straight male subordinates who in turn summon demons and delve into secrets. If you follow the logic, the narrator seems to be claiming that the villainy is her fault because the villains are attracted to her and want to make her happy. It's pretty grotesque and I hate it.
